Japan '15 Food Photo Diary

Mrs. Graham's S'more Macaron

Pinkberry Mango Frozen Yogurt

The coconut frozen yogurt isn't always available, but at least it gives me an excuse to try other flavors like their newest one - mango!

Mango Frozen Yogurt (medium, 140-180 calories)
with raspberries, blueberries, mangoes, toasted almonds and low fat oats + honey granola
PHP 220 (because of the luxe toppings: blueberries and raspberries)

If you haven't tried Pinkberry yet I suggest you stop by! They have something for everyone and aren't just limited to frozen yogurt. For more details check out their website, you'll be singing along to the annoying but catchy Pinkberry jingle in no time "sorry ice cream I'm dreaming of a different dessert, Pinkberry shaved ice and frozen yogurt" see? Ugh. And yes, I actually searched for the lyrics.

Click this for my previous post on Pinkberry!

Pinkberry

Locations: Rockwell P1 level (994-1197)

                 Greenbelt 5 level 1 (945-7610)

Website: http://www.pinkberry.ph/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PinkberryPhilippines

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PinkberryPH

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Pinkberry Addiction

My favorite flavors are lychee with lime, pomegranate and strawberry (their newest flavor) - in that order!

What's your favorite?

Pinkberry

Locations: Rockwell P1 level (994-1197)

                 Greenbelt 5 level 1 (945-7610)

Website: http://www.pinkberry.ph/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PinkberryPhilippines

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PinkberryPH

Now Open: Cold Stone Creamery in Manila

Whenever I bump into a Cold Stone branch abroad, I never pass up the chance to get something. It's one of my all time favorite ice cream parlors and it's finally available in the Philippines! Their first and only branch in the country is located in Serendra, where Le Petit Artisan used to be. 

Cold Stone Creamery

Address: Ground Floor, Serendra Piazza (between McKinley Pkwy and 11th ave.), Taguig City 

International Website: http://www.coldstonecreamery.com/index.html

Local Website: http://www.coldstonephilippines.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coldstoneph

Email: coldstonephil@gmail.com

The Cake Club • Take II

Vanessa PHP 250
"Our GM's favorite! Made of pistachio macaroons and fresh strawberries."

Top to bottom: Baked Cheesecake and Le Royale PHP 180 (for two scoops)
Baked Cheesecake: "Our signature cheesecake is reputed to be the richest and cheesiest in the Metro."
Le Royale: "Chef Pang Kok Keong's signature cake is made of Valrhona dark chocolate mousse, almond meringue and hazelnut crispy."

Top to bottom: Supermoist Chocolate Cake and Le Royale PHP 180 (for two scoops)
Supermoist Chocolate Cake: "There is no other chocolate cake in town with a bigger following than our signature chocolate cake."Le Royale: "Chef Pang Kok Keong's signature cake is made of Valrhona dark chocolate mousse, almond meringue and hazelnut crispy."

Comments / More Information:
- My favorite ice cream flavor is Le Royale. It's super rich and heavy and your craving will be satisfied with just one scoop. If you're not into dark chocolate then this flavor isn't for you.
- You can't get only one scoop of their ice cream; you can only get two scoops (PHP 180), one pint (PHP 350) or half a gallon (PHP 1,000)
- The Cake Club is my absolute favorite dessert place at the moment! If you haven't tried it yet, you have to pay them a visit.

Check out my other post on The Cake Club here!

The Cake Club

Address: UG/F North East Building, Bonifacio High Street Central, 7th Ave. cor 29th St., Taguig (the building is across the street from where 7th High and Kabisera is located; the restaurant is beside Beso)

Telephone No.: 528-3000, 621-3176

The Cake Club

Left to right: Vanessa, Ispahan, Danielle

Left to right: Cecilia, Mont Blanc, Guia, Le Royale

Left to right: Baked Cheesecake, Supermoist Chocolate Cake, Vanessa, Ispahan, Danielle

Foie Gras Macaroon PHP 150
I kinda freaked out when I first heard about the Foie Gras Macaroon. Duck liver macaroon?? I didn't know whether it sounded appetizing to me or not, all I knew was that I had to get my hands on them and straight to my mouth immediately. This macaroon is definitely an acquired taste, just as foie gras is. It was sweet at first but as I chewed along the saltiness and foie gras flavor bursted out. I enjoyed it but it isn't something I'd crave for.

Truffle Fries PHP 180 "Sea salt flakes, garlic mayonnaise or ketchup"

This appetizer was really simple yet fulfilling. Their fries were all fried to perfection with just the right amount of truffle flavor, plus it wasn't greasy at all.

GM's Favorite PHP 210 "Forest mushrooms, fresh buffalo cheese, balsamic vinaigrette"

The salad was placed on a delicate parmesan crisp bowl which went well with everything on the plate, especially the tangy vinaigrette. I liked how they incorporated the many different flavors and textures into this dish. Light and fresh, like how any salad should be.

Porcini Mushroom Crepe PHP 435 "White wine, cream, emmental"

By the time I was done eating my first crepe I wasn't interested on touching the second one anymore. It was great but not something I can eat a lot of, it's probably better off being eaten as a starter rather than a main dish. Honestly not something I would order again, another reason why is because of it's price.

Roast Chicken PHP 415 "Haricot verts, mushroom, potatoes"
I could tell my dad really enjoyed his dish, he wiped out his plate quickly and had no complaints at all.

Vanessa PHP 250 "Our GM's favorite! Made of pistachio macaroons and fresh strawberries"

The Cake Club offers two different kinds of dessert macaroons, Vanessa and Ispahan, both about the size of my fist. Something all macaroon lovers will surely go crazy about. I know I did!

Menu

Comments / More Information:

- All their dishes were beautifully plated, as you can see from the photos above

- They're also known for their ice cream but unfortunately I wasn't able to have some. Maybe next time!

- The next time I pay them a visit I'm definitely going on a Saturday or Sunday for their Weekend Brunch. What can be better than starting your day with a fancy, hearty brunch?

- They also sell Royce and Hediard products in their restaurant
- They have WiFi for their customers, just ask one of the waiters for the password

The Cake Club

Address: UG/F North East Building, Bonifacio High Street Central, 7th Ave. cor 29th St., Taguig (the building is across the street from where 7th High and Kabisera is located; the restaurant is beside Beso)

Telephone No.: 528-3000, 621-3176

Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Pumpkin Cupcake

1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup (75 grams) solid packed, canned pumpkin puree (I couldn't find canned pumpkin puree in the grocery so I pureed it myself instead)

Cream Cheese Frosting

4 ounces (113 grams) cream cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons (25 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (175 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Place rack in the middle of the oven. 
2. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or spray each cup with a non stick vegetable spray.
3. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, ground spices, and salt. 
4. In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 
5. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
6. Beat in the vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. 
7. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and pumpkin puree, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. 
8. Fill the muffin cups evenly with the batter using two spoons or an ice cream scoop. 
9. Place in the oven and bake for about 18 - 20 minutes, or until firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean. 
10. Place on a wire rack to cool.
11. Instructions for cream cheese frosting: 
In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. 
12. Add the butter and beat until incorporated and smooth. 
13. Add the vanilla extract and confectioners sugar and beat until fluffy (2-3 minutes). 
14. Pipe or spread the frosting on the cupcakes.
15. Garnish and decorate using nuts, cinnamon, or pumpkin candies (optional).

I got the recipe from this video on YouTube. She's one of my favorite beauty gurus but she also has a vlog channel where she posts videos of random stuff, including baking.

These taste more like carrot cupcakes than pumpkin, if you ask me. But still really yummy! It goes really well with a hot drink and is perfect for the Halloween season. Enjoy!

Borough

Their pie and cake of the day

Their tea selection

Double Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding "Warm bread pudding. Served with vanilla ice cream. Ingredients change seasonally" PHP 140

Mom's Milk and Cookies "Chewy fresh baked cookies in assorted flavors. Served with a pitcher of cold milk" PHP 220

Fresh Milk. Yes, the kind you get from the States...

Left to right: Oatmeal and Cranberry, Gingerbread, Peanut Butter
The gingerbread cookies were my favorite!

All gone!

Comments:
- They're open 24/7 
- They always have different flavors of their Bread and Butter Pudding and they don't serve it plain. This time their flavor was double chocolate which was really yummy, but the last time I ordered this the flavor was banana and I didn't like that so much. Make sure to ask the waiter what flavor they have for the day before ordering it
- Their Mom's Milk and Cookies were delicious! I actually didn't expect it to be that good. They have three different kinds of cookie flavors: gingerbread (my favorite), oatmeal and cranberry (my second favorite), and peanut butter (my least favorite) which came straight from the oven. They were baked to perfection, crunchy on the outside but really chewy in the inside. Plus their milk was imported which took the yumminess to a whole 'nother level
- The restaurant has two entrances, one from inside of the mall and one near the open parking
- I'd say that this is a perfect place to bring your friends since the restaurant has a really chill vibe to it


Borough
Address: GF The Podium, 12 ADB Ave., Ortigas Center
Telephone No.: 570-9806